


The Karaoke Challenge

by Lyli_in_Wonderland



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M, Literature, Romance, fan fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-18
Updated: 2014-04-18
Packaged: 2020-03-18 01:59:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18976363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyli_in_Wonderland/pseuds/Lyli_in_Wonderland
Summary: -Open for commissions!Story based on TheBlueEyedVampire's Fairy Tail Birthday Scenario Game!My prompt was "Have a singing contest with Natsu" and that's how it turned out! A cute one-shot starring the one and only Natsu Dragneel, the reader and a karaoke box! Enjoy the fluf!Disclaimers:Fairy Tail: Hiro MashimaStory: Lyli-in-WonderlandSpecial thanks to HaNyaYume a.k.a. my beta reader!





	The Karaoke Challenge

**Author's Note:**

>   - [Open for commissions!](https://www.deviantart.com/lyli-in-wonderland/art/Open-for-Commissions-797656603)  
> 
> Story based on TheBlueEyedVampire's Fairy Tail Birthday Scenario Game!  
> My prompt was "Have a singing contest with Natsu" and that's how it turned out! A cute one-shot starring the one and only Natsu Dragneel, the reader and a karaoke box! Enjoy the fluf! 
> 
> Disclaimers:  
> Fairy Tail: Hiro Mashima  
> Story: Lyli-in-Wonderland
> 
> Special thanks to HaNyaYume a.k.a. my beta reader!

  


  
    The hours of normal evening were slowly ticking by and the weather was nice. The citizens were busy preparing for the next festival that was coming back rather fast. Some others were simply enjoying the nice day,relaxing. The town’s kids were running into the streets, playing various games, ‘Wizards’ being the most popular, while making sure not to be into anyone’s way. Their ‘spells’ could be heard amongst their laughers and joyous cries and it seemed as though the sun was smiling with them, playing along and slowing its pace before the Moon takes over his place into the clear sky.

    Magnolia was as lively as ever and so was its unique Guild. Mages were scattered all over the place, laughing, talking and relaxing, like any other ordinary citizen. Most of them could also be seen drinking, flirting or picking fights. But, since the Salamander wasn’t there to set things on fire, nobody had thrown a single punch.

    Even if the atmosphere was calmer when Natsu wasn’t there, I felt like Fairy Tail meant nothing without him fooling around. The air was empty without his loud laugh bouncing on the walls, tense of all the pent up energy nobody dared to get out of their system fearing the Master’s (or most likely Erza’s) wrath, but most of all, the air was cold without his fire shooting in every direction. Even when he wasn’t fighting, I missed his warm presence. He always found the way to brighten the day at anytime, disregarding the atmosphere and pretending to be dense about it.

    I sighed quietly. Although today was perfect for a birthday, I couldn’t get myself to enjoy it at its full potential. All because the Guild’s favourite Fire Mage was away on a job... I rested my cheek in the palm of my hand and looked into the far distance pictured into the Main Portal’s frame of the Guild. Before long, a hand obstructed the beautiful landscape and forced my mind to come back to my body’s present position.

    “You seem distracted since this morning.”Erza stated. “Tell me, what is it that is bugging you?”

    “It’s really nothing, don’t worry.” I smiled weakly at her.

    “Itseems you’ve been like this since Natsu left on his job...” Wendy’s small voice hardly reached my ears.

    I looked at my hands that lay on my laps, playing with my fingers nervously and failing to hide the pink rising onto my cheeks.

    “No way!” Lucy squealed, loudly. “You have a crush on..!”

    I swiftly covered her mouth, forcing the fatal words into her throat. Alas, it was too late. The whole Guild had fallen silent and every available pair of eye had turned to the table we were occupying. A nervous laugh escaped my lips as my face was growing redder in an instant. With slow, calculated movements, I let go of Lucy and faced Erza with a pleading look hidden behind a pathetic smile. However, the help I was awaiting from her never came. Titania kept a small smirk visible on her lips and held a mischievous spark in her chocolate orbs. I shrank in my seat, failing to become one with the wooden chair. My hands were moist and I couldn’t help the various shivers that were traveling up and down my spine, a cold sweat soon starting to dampen my shirt.

    “I see...” She said in a low and mysterious voice.

    A last spasm shook my entire body before leaving it still with fear. What was to come, there was no way to know. That woman was unpredictable and quite radical with her decisions. I glanced at Wendy who was sweat dropping slightly, but didn’t look like she was going to lend me a hand at all.

    Suddenly, after long, agonizing minutes, all the mages present bursted into laugher, shaking the structure and probably echoing up to the forest surrounding the outskirts of Magnolia. My own voice soon joined the irregular melody that was animating Fairy Tail with a newfound youth and carefree aura.

    Emotions were so easily transmitted between the members, no matter the situation or the emotion. Fairy Tail really was a big, dysfunctional and unique family. Once you were in, there was almost nothing that could cause somebody to be kicked out and even less denied by its members. The only time it happened, Natsu told me once, nobody wanted the culprit to go, because everybody had already forgave him for his sins toward the family.

    “I’M BACK!” A booming voice declared over the ruckus.

    My heart jumped to my throat, obstructing my vocal chords and restraining me to wish the traditional ‘welcome back’ to Natsu. He didn’t seem to notice though, as he entered the building with a big smile plastered on his features. It was often when he would come back from a mission with only a few scratches here and there, but always wearing the same toothy smile that only got bigger, almost splitting his face apart, when he would tell me of his adventures.

    I was always the lucky one to hear them first hand and it never missed to make me feel like a V.I.P. at some Grand Premier of a movie or even a play as Natsu absolutely loved to revive his most epic fights with dangerous foes. He would be throwing punches and kicks at an invisible enemy, jumping on the table and performing various stunts to make it even more impressive. Oh! How he enjoyed making it sound much more impressive than what the real fight had been in reality. But I couldn’t help myself but to drink his every word. Natsu was a talented storyteller after all. He could captivate his audience in a matter of second and it wasn’t only because of his obnoxious attitude nor was it because of his naturally loud voice.

    Lost in thought again, I failed to realize that everyone had returned to his or her previous activities. That was until I heard Natsu yelling my name. I turned to him sitting at the bar unusually empty of food behind him. I cocked my head on the side as a silent request for him to voice his thoughts, completely unfazed by the fact that he just yelled my name into the Guild. He would do it quite often like he did it with other members’ names, most of the time to challenge them to a fight.

    “Oh, no... Don’t tell me he wants to challenge me again.” I thought, a gloomy aura starting to form around me. “He knows I can’t even win against Lucy and even less against him! Why does he keep on forcing me to fight him anyways?”

    Resolved to refuse his soon to come proposition, I sighed and was about to decline before he could say anything, but he beat me yet again as he shouted his next question.

    “You have a crush on someone?! Who is it?!”

    I froze. How did he..? Then I saw Lucy sitting beside him, one of her hand failing to stifle her giggles as her slightly shaking shoulders and pink cheeks gave her away. She also held the same mischievous glint in her eyes that Erza had previously had in hers. I started to worry for the safety of my little not so secret anymore private love life.

    Of course, it was a constant effort to keep our little dirty secrets to ourselves when entering Fairy Tail. Somehow, a time would come when the newbie would learn others’ lives from various members and another time would come when it would be time to take off the mask. It wasn’t because they wanted to know everything about every mages that were a part the Guild, but rather because they cared deeply for each other and it was impossible to help them when they needed it the most because they did not know what was wrong.

    It was difficult to accept the fact at first, but it was slowly carving its place into my heart as I would get worried easily for my fellow fairies.

    “Hey! Are you listening to me or what?!”

    I jumped back at the proximity of the voice. Natsu was standing a few inches away, his heat easily turning my cheeks red.

    “I said: ‘who. Is.It?’ Please, tell me! I wanna know! I hate not knowing!”

    He kept on complaining and whining loudly, his hot breath fanning on my face, ears and neck, creating numerous goose bumps going up and down my whole body and making my blood rise to my face even more. The once red that covered my cheeks had become a proud crimson color, rivalling with Erza’s scarlet hair.

    I didn’t notice when he had stopped his rambling to stare intensely at me. His gaze was unwavering and so determined that I began to fidget slightly as I was confronted to this flaming passion flickering in his orbs. But, too nervous to get a word out of my mouth, I stayed silent and still. Natsu was stubborn, but also very impatient so it was quite easy to predict that he would soon drop the subject to either start another one or go eat.

    “Oh! Before I forget! Here, for you...” He held out a small box for me to take.

    I stared at it. Not what I was expecting at all. Natsu wasn’t usually the type to give small attentions to his friends. Nevertheless, the box was still waiting, sitting in the palm of his hand, his slender fingers loosely closed around it.

    “A souvenir?” I asked as I took the pink ribbon off the orange wrapping, freeing the object from its delicate ropes.

    “No. It’s for your birthday, silly!” His smile grew bigger if it was still possible, his white fangs proudly glimmering into the bright light.

    “Don’t-!” I tried to stop him before anyone could hear him but it was too late. Team Natsu and a few others nearby had heard the fatal word.

    I didn’t want the Guild to know when my birthday was. Not only they had their own personal homemade version of the infamous songs people usually sang on those occasions but it was also incredibly embarrassing, not to mention the various tricks they would pull on you. After witnessing it all on Lucy’s birthday, I decided I would keep the date of mine a secret.

    Unfortunately, someone had apparently slipped through my defences and subdued the information at an unknown time. This information then travelled its way to a certain Dragon Slayer who happened to have a great memory when he wanted to.

    But why did he decide to remember that precise and pointless information about me? I lingered on that question apparently too long, an impatient call of my name pulling me out of my daydreams for the countless time today.

    “You gonna open it or what?”Natsu asked, staring at me with bored eyes, elbow resting on the table, cheek smothered on his closed fist and staring to hammer his foot on the floor.

    I mumbled a small apologize and resumed to open the mysterious box. I could feel many stares on me and poorly discreet whispers were traveling through the observers as I delicately lifted the lid. I was slowing my movements as much as I could as to tease the pink haired boy sitting beside me, taking advantage of the situation to take sweet revenge on him for giving away what day it was.

    A small ray of light progressively dispersed the shadows hiding the gift. Resting peacefully on a miniature velvet cushion was a pendent made of a raw gemstone with a silver hook. The irregular shape of the gemstone held swirls of red and yellow hugging the bright orange center. Around it, a finely sculpted dragon was protecting its only treasure, its claws digging slightly into the translucent surface. The small wings were delicately polished from the inside, creating a curved mirror that captured the light and reflected it through the solid that radiated of an inconspicuous warm aura. Lastly, the head of the small creature was laying lovingly on the top part of the stone were the surface was less rough, watching the troublemaker that woke it up from its dreams with a severe eye.

    “It’s a fire gemstone. Some of my powers are crystallized within it since I helped the craftsman to do it. And the dragon was my idea too!”Natsu explained, placing his head on my shoulder, also looking at the small object before turning his eyes to me. “You gonna put it on?”

    I noticed the shiny string of silver slipping out from under the soft pillow when I gently tugged on the unique present to get it out from its themed coloured box. I couldn’t help but to take it closer to my face, admiring every detail that just seemed to appear progressively. For instance, the only opened eye of the dragon wasn’t as nasty when up close. Instead, it was filled with deep care and infinite reverie.

    As I was too slow for his taste, the fire mage took the necklace from my loose grip, warm fingers grazing colder ones for a brief instant. He got up and went behind me as he pushed my hair aside. I reflexively secured the loose strands and waited with closed eyes for the cold metal to bite at my skin. When nothing happened, I warily lifted my eyelids to find the piece of jewellery already tied around my neck and Natsu blinking at me, wondering what I was so afraid of.

    “Wow, it really looks good on you…” Lucy gasped with her brown irises shining with admiration.

    “Indeed it does.”Erza agreed. “I didn’t know you had such refined tastes, Natsu.”

    But the Dragon Slayer wasn’t listening. Lost in a daydream, his gaze distant yet focused with incredible concentration on my form, I started to feel self-conscious. I fumbled with the pendent, waiting for him to snap out of it.

    “I have an idea!” He suddenly exclaimed, effectively shaking away the rosy color that was starting to rise on his tanned cheeks. “Let’s have a karaoke party!”

    Again, my muscles tensed and I couldn’t move nor voice any protestation of any sort. Anyone would think that hanging around Fairy Tail and its very unlikely wizards for so long would have made someone bulletproof to their antics but it was far from my situation. At any time, they were able to surprise me with crazier ideas like this one.

    Of course, a karaoke party is not odd when considering it happening on a normal day. However, on a birthday, it held promises of the celebrated person to go up the stage and sing at least one song. On top of that, after a quick glance around the room, I knew there was no way I could escape this…

    “And I challenge you!”Natsu declared loudly while pointing a daring index in my face. “…To a singing contest! If you win, I will do as you say for a day!”

    “More like a week!” Happy chirped.

    “Yeah! Let’s do this!” The fire lover’s flamed fist pumped the air in determination as he started to pull me to the stage on one side of the guild.

    “But w-wait!” I protested weakly.

    I tripped over my own feet while trying to keep up with his fast pace. Not wanting to drag my limp body on the scratchy wooden floor, Natsu promptly helped me up with a swift movement, placing my on his shoulder in the process.

    “What’s wrong? You scared?” He laughed, looking over at me as he patted my thigh teasingly.

    “What if you win?” I asked while trying to hide my reddening face from his playful eyes.

    “Easy.” He put me back on my feet and we were on the far end of the stage. “You tell me who your crush is.”

    He was so serious about that small fact that I thought it wasn’t Natsu standing before me, holding my shoulders to prevent any escape, but rather a very convincing doppelganger. Even so, his smile, his presence and this special feeling about him were all the same, unchanged and authentic. The erratic beating of my heart told me so that I couldn’t be mistaken.

    Shaking away my thoughts, I saw Natsu flashing one of his trademark toothy smiles before turning to the waiting microphone under the blinding spotlight. It wasn’t long before music filled the room and that Natsu’s voice joined the melody.

    Of all the possible scenarios that had run through my mind, never would I have expected the hyperactivewizard to be this talented at singing. Moreover, he was so entertaining that any listener would want to join him in his song. His voice was captivating, his movements radiated of energy and his smile was mesmerizingly contagious. It was clear that he didn't know the significance of shy whereas I was the definition of it.

    At the end of the song, I was still stuck in a small trance when Natsu snatched my wrist to trade places with him. I tried not to squint my eyes too much under the aggressive light that gave off the feeling of standing in front of a crowd of creepy shadows. The whole situation was very unnerving to say the least.

    Nonetheless, I couldn't contemplate the idea of giving up, not with all the consequences that wimp attitude would lead me to. Ever if I wasn't really interested in having Natsu as my personal butler for a whole week, I simply didn't want to imagine his reaction if I was to tell him that my crush is...

    I heard a voice call out to me and reaching me in a distant echo that confused the words between themselves. I didn't understand, my body reacted for me and I nodded. A quiet melody arose and reached my memory in an instant. However, my vocal chords were tangled in a large knot in my throat, preventing any sound to reach the outside world. Fortunately for me, there were still a few times left before I had to start singing. I surveyed the room in search of any support. Most were giving thumbs up as other yelled incoherent words. A few rare were staring and deciding of their judgment even thought I haven't uttered a note.

    My gaze finally landed on team Natsu on the front line. Lucy was cheering me on as loudly as she could, Happy and Wendy following along. Grey had a genuine smile on his calm feature, his shirt missing again. A mischievous grin stretched Erza's lips as she held a small unidentifiable object in her hands. As for Natsu, I didn't know what to think of his expression. For once, he was completely unreadable.

    I took a deep breath and focused on the appearing words. I had to admit that the song they chose for me was one of my favourites. Not only did I really like to sing it when I was alone, I also knew I was able to reproduce the tonalities and rhythms perfectly –or at least I hoped I did. Considering the fact that I have never had to perform before a public before today, I didn’t really know what people thought of my skills or if I had any for that matters. However, I chose to disregard it, convincing myself that I was alone like always and to simply let my body and my soul be submerged into the sweet music...

    The sound of thunder boomed in the distance, making me open my eyes and tumble back into reality. When I realized what I had done, my whole body was boiling from the inside. My legs had gone heavy like iron and it felt as if they were digging the ground, but not fully hiding my flustered form between its cracks.

    “Don’t make that face! You did pretty great!”Natsu beamed at me as he climbed yet again on the stage.

    “Not as great as you though...” I stuttered back. “Does that mean that... I... lost?”

    “Only if you give up and admit defeat!”

    So it was an endurance test? So the first one to be out of breath loses?

    “I’m not going to let you win this time, Dragneel.” I had to protect that secret at all cost.

    “Now you’re talking!” He laughed. “But you should know better than that I never give up either and that I ALWAYS find a way to defeat my opponent.”

    With a newfound determination, I dared him to a duet after a short pause during which other members of the guild took our places. As Erza took her place on the stage, I walked back at the table where I left the small orange box. I opened its lid again to put the pink ribbon in it and saw black ink staining the interior of it. There, in small but bold letters I recognized as Natsu’s writing, was a quick note.

    **_“_ _You take my breath away, but I_ _’_ _m never out of fire with you._ _”–_ _N.D._**

    I wasn’t quite sure what he could mean, but it still made my heart beat increase slightly at the sight of it. Maybe it was just the fact that it really was uncharacteristic from the pinkette to do such cheesy yet romantic little attentions like those he demonstrated today.

    Sensing someone looking over my shoulder, I closed the box after stuffing the short ribbon in it with clumsy movements and turned on my heels to face them.

    “You shouldn’t keep it a secret, young girl.” I let out a sigh of relief. It was only Carla. “You know he feels the same so why don’t you just confess now?” She continued with her short arms crossed over her chest.

    “W-well... It’s just that... I believe... Or more like I would really prefer if... If it could be him that confess first...”

    She huffed and fluttered away, grumbling something along the lines of ‘what a waste of time that was’. I wondered if she knew something we –Natsu and I- didn’t?

    “Hey! It’s almost our turn! Come on! Let’s go!” Natsu appeared out of the crowd that were whooping at Grey’s performance reaching its end.The fire mage then proceeded to pull me back to the front line through the sea of people. I had to clutch tightly on his arm to stop him from kicking his rival down the scene.

    “Lemme at him!” He kept on yelling.

    “Natsu, please! Don’t start a brawl on my birthday!” I begged him, hugging his muscled appendage closer to my chest.

    Somehow, it seemed to convince him as he calmed down drastically. He looked at me from the corner of his eyes, the resigned expression that he held moments ago merging into a mysterious emotion. As I couldn’t hold his intense stare for a long moment, I mumbled my gratitude to our feet. Having witnessed his incredibly sharp senses’ abilities, I knew he heard me despite all the noise around. When Grey had thanked his public and disappeared into the cloud if bodies, I felt Natsu’s warm hand grab mine in a delicate gesture.

    He didn’t say anything as I obediently followed his lead. Soon enough, we were back on the stage and ready to sing our duet. I didn’t know which one it was going to be and I didn’t know who chose it but I could only pray for it not to be a love duet.

    I blushed at the very thought of it. As I started to fumble with what was between my fingers, I realized that Natsu hadn’t let go of my hand and that I was playing with his fingers. He only glanced and with a signal from his free hand, the music started.

    To my relief, it was an ordinary, happy and friendly song that I knew. The beat was catchy and easily made the people swing their bodies, sometime in sync, sometime completely out of tune with it, but it wasn’t important whatsoever since they had fun while doing so, Natsu’s never ending energy supply firing them up.

    I quickly caught on all the happiness that was filling the air of Fairy Tail and decided that I too could let it all out. My smile was so wide that it hurt slightly to keep it on my features as I sang along with the Fire Dragon Slayer. Relaxing my muscles, my hips started to move by themselves in rhythm with the music that filled my ears, making my whole being forget about my worries.

    Too soon, the song ended and left all fairies panting slightly but laughing wholeheartedly. Other groups followed suit as we rested a little before another performance.

    Singing had always been so relieving. Whatever the emotions there were to get out, there was always an appropriate song to do it, each of them having different intensities to match the various pent up feelings. Sadly, there were a limited number of songs on the karaoke machine, so the choice was highly reduced. Plus, as no one particularly liked the idea of hearing the same song twice, it didn’t take long for us to go through the entire repertory.

    The sun had long vanished from the sky and its multiple identical friends were now scattered on the smooth surface guarded by the Moon. The day’s playful kids had been replaced by the night people, mainly couples going out to eat at a good restaurant or either going dancing until the early morning. Fortunately for them, the night was still young.

    At the Guild, the mages were all scattered around the entrancehall, having returned to their initial places and to their usual tables. Most of them resumed their drinking that had warmed up from being neglected and most of them had started eating various meals they had ordered from Mirajane. Some had also decided to go back their own way like Lucy who was exhausted from all the fun she had with today’s show.

    Deciding that I too should return to my room at Fairy Hills, I made my way to a side entrance that faced the girls’ dorms’ building while yawning quite intensely, closing my eyes in the process. I eventually had to bump into someone and let my legs flinch under me at the startling contact. I just hoped that it wasn’t a drunk member...

    “Where do you think you’re going like that!?”

    A small ‘aye!’ followed shortly after. I sighed and tried to rub the sleep off my features for the time being, knowing that Natsu wouldn’t let me rest before he had what he wanted. I mumbled incoherent words and looked at my two friends through heavy eyelids.

    “People are wondering who won.” Happy clarified.

    “Can’t we ask ‘em t’morrow?” I was on the verge of passing out from the exhaustion.

    “No!”Natsu protested. “I want to know now.” He almost ordered.

    “Happy?” I turned my attention to the blue fur ball sitting on my laps. “Who won?”

    “I’d say you!” He answered in a cute squeak. “Because, it must have taken so much courage to go up there and sing in front of everyone in the first place.”

    Natsu complained at the cat’s judgement. He probably felt betrayed and miserable now that his best friend declared so lightly that the mighty Natsu Dragneel had lost to a girl at a karaoke competition. I wouldn’t be able to look at my reflection ever again if I let him in that state of sadness.

    “Well...” I started, seeing the pout on the pink haired male carve a little more onto his features. “I think that Natsu won.” A spark flashed through the fire mage’s dark eyes. “Because he sang much more songs then I did and yet, he is still standing and dynamic while I will probably fall asleep on my way to my room. Not considering the fact that you two just came back from a mission...”

    I yawned yet again and felt my eyes dropping heavier, blurring my vision. Nonetheless, I knew it was Natsu who just picked me up in his arms as to bring me to my room, his unnaturally yet comforting warmth lulling me to sleep.

    I woke up in a startle when I felt I was being lain down on a soft surface. I soon realized that I was in my room and I was about to go back to sleep when a warm hand shook me gently.

    “Wait!” The voice whispered. “You didn’t tell me who was your crush.”

    For an unknown reason, I didn’t feel like saying his name, but dodged the question by reflecting it in the strangers’ face.

    “Isn’t it obvious?” He whispered. “It’s you...”

    “Natsu...” I mumbled half awake by now.

    “What?”

    “I have a crush on Natsu Dragneel.”

    I was fully awake and aware of the situation now. I also knew who I was talking to, but played the sleep-talking card for safe measures.

    “Good to know...”

    Natsu’s slightly sweaty palm cupped my face and just before his lips touched mine, he murmured the three magic words.


End file.
